Windshield wiper



July 8,' 1941- J. w. ANDERS-0N 2,248,565 I -wINDsHIELD wIPER I Filed ot. 15, 193s 2759i; v i

"l PJ@ @along Patented `uly 8, 1941 STES TEN FFICE WINDSHIELD WIPER John W. Anderson, Gary, Ind., assigner to Productive Inventions, Inc., Gary, Ind., a corporation of Indiana 7 Claims.

rIhis invention relates to windshield wipers, andA more particularly to windshield wipers adapted to remove ice, sleet, snow and the like from a windshield by a combined wiping and melting action.

The device of my invention is of the general type comprising an actuating arm and a wiping element containing a salt compound or similar substance which reacts with water to effect a melting action on ice, sleet and snow which the wiping element contacts. The salt compound is usually contained in a water-pervious flexible receptacle which tends to collapse as the salt compound is diminished. However, since the flexible receptacle is necessarily supported by a rigid frame and is resiliently pressed towards the windshield, the windshield tends to become scratched through contact with the frame due to collapsing of the receptacle.

Additionally, prior windshield Wipers of this type with which I am familiar are relatively expensive to manufacture and assemble partially due to the fact that the receptacle must be made accessible for refilling with salt compound or the like.

I have devised a windshield wiper of the above general type which is of relatively simple construction comprising relatively few parts and wherein the parts are largely susceptible of manufacture by stamping and punching operations. The receptacle may be quickly and easily secured to and detached from a support element although prevented from being accidentally displaced during operation of the wiper. Further, rigid or metallic partsare effectively cushioned and prevented from contacting the windshield'glass due to collapsing of the flexible receptacle as the ice-melting material is diminished.

It is an object of my invention therefore to provide an improved windshield Wiper having a wiping element of the ice-melting type which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved windshield wiper comprising a flexible container for ice-melting material and wherein the windshield glass is prevented from contacting relatively rigid or metallic parts of the wiper due to collapsing of the container and resultantly eliminating any tendency to scratch or mar the windshield.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved windshield wiper of the above type wherein the iiexible container may be easily detached from a support therefor for refilling with ice-melting material. c

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved flexible container for ice-melting material adapted to be easily secured to and detached from a support therefor.

' Another object of my invention is to provide an improved flexible container for Vice-melting material adapted to be secured to a windshield Wiper arm or the like and having improved means preventing contact of movable metallic or rigid parts with the windshield.

Another object of my invention is to provide a flexible container for ice-melting material and a rigid support therefor having improvedk means for detachably securing the container to the support.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved rellable flexible container for icemelting material.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved support means for a flexible container for ice-melting material adapted to be actuated by a windshield wiper arm.

Another object of my invention is to provide a Windshield Wiper of the above type wherein the flexible container is provided with an opening therein for lling with salt compound or the like and the container support forms a closure means for said opening.

Other objects of my invention itself will become increasingly apparent from a consideration of the following description and drawing where- Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a windshield wiper of my invention applied to a windshield (shown in section) Fig. 2 is a plan view of a support element I I may employ in the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of a receptacle I may employ with the element of Fig. 2 and with parts broken away for olearnessof illustration;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the receptacle of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the support element and receptacle in assembled relation and with parts broken away for -clearness of illustration; Y

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of the receptacle and support element illustrated in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a modified form of frame element I may employ with the bag of Figs. land 5.

Referring now to the drawing, I have indicated at I a conventional windshield of a vehicle and at I I a supporting frame therefor forming a bearing for an actuating shaft I2. Secured to shaft I2 in any suitable manner is a wiper arm I3 adapted to be oscillated by the shaft in the usual manner and to be resiliently urged toward the windshield.

Detachably secured to the lower end of arm I3 is a wiping element generally indicated at Ill. The wiping element I4 comprises a support I5 and a water-pervious flexible receptacle or bag i6. The support I5, best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is generally of channel form comprising a base I'I, side walls I8-I8 and laterally outwardly extending flanges ISI-I9. Base Il is extended at one end beyond the termination of side walls I8 to form a tongue 2Q. The opposite end portion of base I'I is bent upwardly and axially outwardly as indicated at 2|, or is of generally inverted L form. A notch 23 is provided in portion 2| intermediate fingers 22.

Fixedly secured to support I generally centrally thereof is an arm attaching clip 2li of any suitable form, the clip in the present instance comprising a base 25 and upstanding walls 2G-26. The walls are provided with axially spaced pairs of inturned ears 2l and 26, the ears 2'I forming a hocl: engaging bight portion and the ears 28 forming a hooi; abutment por tion. The clip may be secured in any suitable manner to the support I5, rivets 29 being employed in the present instance.

The particular means for attachment of the support element to the arm constitutes no essential part of my invention and any desired construction maybe used. For purposes of illustration, I have shown the arm I3 provided with a hook 30 detachably projected beneath ears 21 and extended outwardly between ears 2l and 28, the arm end portion also preferably being of channel form providing lateral walls adapted to engage clip walls 26. The parts so far described are preferably formed of suitable corrosive resistant material, such as stainless steel, and which is also resistant to the action of the salt compound employed when reacting with water.

The flexible container or bag i6 is preferably formed of water-pervious fabric and is generally rectangular in contour with an open top portion. A relatively rigid and generally rectangular frame element such as a wire 32 is associated with the top peripheral portion of bag I6 to maintain the bag in a desired shape and cooperate with locking means on support I5 to secure the bag to the support. Wire 32 may be secured to the bag in any suitable manner and as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 this is effected by sewing or otherwise securing peripheral portions of the bag to the bag walls to form a peripheral sheath portion as indicated at 33 having adjacent open ends disposed generally centrally of one end of the bag. It is understood that the wire or frame element 32 may be secured to bag IE by clamp means, forming projections on the wire to which the bag fabric may be hooked or in various otherways although I preferably encase the wire and in each instance insure that at least the external side and end wall portions of the wire are covered by fabric to prevent any possibility of the frame element 32 contacting the Windshield when the bag is collapsed. The ends of wire 32 are projected upwardly from the sheath ends in generally S form to provide clips 34.

The manner of securing bag I6 to support I5 will now be described and is best illustrated in Fig. 6. The tongue 2U of the support element is projected beneath wire 32 at the forward end of the bag, the projecting movement being limited by the forward ends of support walls I8 engaging the Wire 32 to maintain tongue 20 slightly spaced from the forward end wall of the bag indicated at and eliminating any possibility of tongue 2i] injuring the fabric. The rear portion of bag I6 is brought into contact with the support I5 causing clips Sii to ride over and receive peripheral portions of notch 23 and I preferably provide sulcient resilience in wire 52 to cause clips 34 to spread laterally after entering notch 23. Thus, the bag I5 may be quickly and easily secured to support I5 with the longitudinally extending portions of wire 32 abuting support flanges I9 and the support base II extended into the bag. It will be apparent that due to the fabric covered wire 32 encircling the support I5 and disposed between the windshield and support flanges I9 and support portion 2| that there is no possibility of any portion of the support vcontacting the windshield upon collapse of the bag.

The bag may be detached from the support I5 for refilling by reversing the locking operation. Any suitable compound which will react with water to melt ice may be used although I preferably supply this material in solid rectangular units as indicated at 35. The support element forms a closure for bag I6 with support base Il initially pressing units 35 firmly against the bag bottom.

It will be noted that side walls I 8 of support I5 are of arcuate form or curved inwardly as shown in Fig. 7 whereby the longitudinally extending portions of frame element 32 are forced slightly apart when securing bag I6 to support I5 insuring that the bag will remain locked with the support at all portions thereof and cooperating with tongue 20 and clips 34 in effecting the locking action. Although I have shown walls I8 as of arcuate form, it is understood that they may be of planar form although in this construction I preferably employ a frame element as indicated at 40, Fig. 8. The frame element 43 is similar to frame element II but the longitudinally extending frame side portions are curved slightly inwardly to provide a gripping action on side walls I 8 of the support I5.

It is understood -that I may employ frame element lil in association with a bag adapted to a support I5 having either planar or arcuate side walls I8.

Although I have shown and described preferred forms of my invention, it is understood that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a generally channel form relatively rigid support having longitudinal flanges extending laterally outwardly, an upwardly open flexible water pervious bag of generally rectangular form adapted to be detachably secured to the support with longitudinal edge portions of the bag abutting the support flanges, and the base of said channel form being disposed within the bag to form a closure therefor.

2. The combination with a flexible bag adapted to contain ice-melting material, of generally rectangular relatively rigid frame means for the bag secured to the peripheral portions of the bag and being externally covered by the bag walls, and closure and support means for the bag having longitudinally outwardly extending flanges and longitudinally extending means at each end thereof detachably interlocking with the frame means to secure the bag to the support and to close the bag opening.

3. The combination with an upwardly open generally rectangular bag of water-pervious material adapted to contain ice-melting material, of a generally rectangular relatively rigid frame element secured to peripheral portions of the bag, at least the external side and end wall portions of the frame element being covered by the bag material, a rigid support element adapted to be secured to an actuating arm, and cooperating means on the frame element and support element for detachably securing the support element to the frame element with the support element closing the bag opening.

4. The combination comprising a support member adapted to be connected to a Windshield wiper arm, an upwardly open bag of water-pervious material adapted to contain ice-melting material, said support cooperating with said bag to form a closure therefor, and a frame element connected to peripheral edge portions of said bag and being arranged to surround the edge of said support, said bag material being arranged to cover the outer portions of said frame to prevent contact of said support and said frame with a windshield as the bag is collapsed.

5. The combination of a rigid support element with a detachable upwardly open flexible bag formed of Water-pervious material, said bag having a frame element provided with a pair of clips, said frame element connected to peripheral edge portions of said bag, said support having at one end thereof an element adapted to be projected beneath an end portion of said frame and locking means on the opposite end thereof cooperating with said frame clips to secure said bag to said support.

6. The combination with a generally channel form rigid support element adapted to be secured to a windshield wiper actuating arm, the support element side walls being inwardly concave, of a bag of water-pervious material adapted to contain ice-melting material, generally resilient frame means connected to the bag dening an opening therein adapted to have side portions thereof seat in the support element side walls, and means at one end of said support element for engaging said frame means, and means at the other end of the support element for detachably locking the bag and frame means to the support element.

'7. The combination comprising a bag of water-pervious flexible material, generally resilient frame means secured to the bag and dening an opening therein, the longitudinal side portions of the frame means being bowed slightly inwardly, a generally channel form support element forming a closure for the bag, the support element having concave side walls with the frame means side portions resiliently interlocking with the sides of the support element, and means located at the ends of said support element for engaging the end portions of said frame for detachably securing the frame means to the support element.

JOHN W. ANDERSON. 

